Wasn't Meant to Be This Way
by Entria
Summary: When Johnny Cade meets Ali Bennett, things turn upside down, and a friendship and quite possibly somthing more. forms that lasts for years to come. Ali's POV.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I guess you could say my writing skills are "rusty". I haven't written anything like this in at least a year. But "The Outsiders" inspired me like WHOA, so here we go.

Disclaimer: Dont own The Outsiders. (though i wish i had Johnny, haha.)

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It wasn't meant to be this way. Johnny Cade was NOT supposed to be dead in that hospital bed.

Breathe. Relax. What Soda told you couldn't, couldn't, COULDN'T be true. You'll go into the room, and he'll be there, sleeping, and he'll try and talk, and you, her, Ali, you'll tell him to save his strength, and everything will just be perfect and normal.

Except when you walk in that room, and its silent, you can't help but cry.

You're talking to yourself instead of Johnny.

You haven't said a word to anybody in weeks.

This is your mind, and it's telling you to wake up.

Johnny Cade is dead. Get over it

But, everyone EVERYONE knows, it wasn't meant to be this way…

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Rewind to 5 years ago when I first met Johnny Cade. He was 11, I was 10, and it was nothing more then innocent.

Nurses office. The teacher had seen bruises on Johnny. I had a bloody nose.

Waiting for the nurse to get done with the kid infront of us, I decided to give a quick "hello" to the kid sitting across the hall from me. Even then, his skin was ever-so…dark. His hair wasn't greased. That would come in a little while.

He nodded, acknowledging my existence there, and that was really it. The nurse called him in a few seconds later, and within 10 minutes, he had left the room, turning around to look at me. Even at 11, he looked like a little lost puppy. I guess he never grew out of it.

And for the longest time, that was all I heard about him. Till one day, when I was sitting around in the park near my house, and I saw him, running as fast as he could, till he stopped, underneath a tree…

I could hear his panting from where I was on a bench. And being the overly-concerned (and now 12.) year old girl that I was, I wanted to make sure he was okay.

I began to walk towards him, when his head snapped over to where I was. I stopped, looking at him, him looking at me, before he muttered, "You're the girl from the nurses office last year…"

His looks had changed, even if just the tiniest bit. His hair was growing longer, and his eyes just looked broodier, darker…

"Are you okay?" I asked, as I sat down next to him. He looked up at the sky, at the tops of the trees, before nodding.

"Yeah, just…family issues." He said, his gaze diverting from the sky, to me. "I guess its awfully rude for me to not introduce myself…I'm Johnny, Johnny Cade." He stuck his hand out, though it looked…awkward, like he wasn't used to shaking hands.

"Ali, Ali Bennett…" I said, my voice quivering. This was strange, a boy and I alone, in the park, underneath a tree…People were probably getting the wrong idea. Still, I shook his hand. His palms were cold, not at all what I expected.

We didn't say much. He just sat there, looking around at things, and I just stared at the ground, occasionally him, when he wasn't looking.

This was the beginning of the friendship of ours that would last for the next 4 years Johnny had left. And over time, things just got worse for him, and worse for me, but we managed to make it through.

Or so we thought.

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something possibly coming tomorrow? who knows. r&r so i know what everyone thinks. please&thankyou. 3


	2. Chapter 2

i totally missed jackass reruns to write this, but ohwell. i guess watching The Karate Kid today got me in the mood to write more, so...here you go. enjoyitt.

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Fast forward to 4 years later, then rewind two, then go forward two. Then just go to present day, to now.

The rewind was to get you into mindset, just for kicks. The jetset (or in this case, greaser) life can, and probably will kill you. As it did with you, him, Johnny…

You left too soon, Johnnycake. And it's hard, so hard for everyone to deal with. Were trying, were all trying as hard as we can to get back to normal, but with you gone…

All I have are memories to date, and your jean jacket, your only jacket…

Were trying, Johnnycake. But it just aint the same without you around.

It just aint the same…

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After that day in the park, Johnny and I had grown closer. I'd normally see him in the park, and we'd talk & talk, about everything and anything.

He strayed off the topic of family, most of the time, and I didn't really care. Till one day, when I was in the park, waiting for him to come around. It was getting to the point of addiction, talking to Johnny.

I heard a woman's voice yelling in the distance, and then HIS voice, that was oh-so familiar by this point said something, that from where I was, I couldn't make out.

And soon enough, a minute or so later, he came around the corner, noticing me under one of the trees, one that we usually sat under. He strolled over, hands in his jacket pockets, and sighed, leaning against the tree, and sliding down it calmly.

"You heard it, didn't you…" he said, running his left hand through his hair.

I shook my head, looking down at my feet. I didn't want to talk about this with him. He was obviously mad.

"Your lying. You heard it." He murmured, "I know you did. The whole neighborhood probably heard…"

I didn't say anything, again. This was probably a rough topic for him, and I didn't want to-

"My mom, my dad & I…we've never really gotten along." He said, turning to look at me, with those goddamn puppy dog eyes, "My dad's been beating me. My mom ignores me unless I've done something wrong…They could really give less about me."

He looked at me, just looked at me, and then shook his head. "I'm sorry, you probably don't even care. Why am I telling you this, anyways? You probably don't even understand…nobody understands."

I shook my head, and opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. My parents were easy going, but at least they cared about me. Johnny, he had nobody…

"I'm so sorry…" I finally said, after careful consideration. I didn't want to make him mad, or offend him.

He didn't speak. He just sat there, probably calming down from what had happened only minutes before.

And in time, his gaze, which was looking at the grass then, moved towards me, and he gave me the smallest hint of a smile, before standing up, brushing dirt off his pants.

"Thanks." He told me, before walking in the opposite direction of where he had came from. I thought he was going to go home, but this was-

"Where you goin'?" I called out, as he turned around to look at me.

"Anywhere but there," he said, pointing towards the street where he was walking from before. "At least for tonight, anyways."

And as Johnny Cade left me in the park, I knew there was something about him that was mysterious. And now that he had told me about his parents, what else was there for him to hide?

On the walk home, I contemplated what else could be wrong with his life. Abusive parents was on the top of the list, of course. But maybe he didn't have any friends. Maybe he wasn't doing so swell in school.

And when I got home, my parents both greeted me. I was thankful at this point, only wishing there was something I could do for Johnny.

If only I could help…

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aaaaand, thats that. r&r, something tomorrow night, and staygold. tyvm.


	3. Chapter 3

im gonna collapse from not getting up from this seat in a whole hour to write this, but ohwell. enjoy it.

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You've made life too hard to live anymore, Johnnycake.

Its hard to go out on the street, and something here, or something there just reminds me, us, all of us, the gang, it reminds us of you.

Little puppy dogs, with beady eyes that light up the world. Gone with the Wind. You know, just the small things.

And its just the small things like a fire in the city that make us all wonder why it was you. Why not any of one us, dead in your spot…

And honest-to-god Johnny, im trying really hard to move on. Its just really hard when there are so many little things.

Especially when all the little things add up to what we had.

What was there…

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Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, and before I knew it, Johnny was showing up less & less at the park, as the year went by.

Still, I'd go down there every day, just for a hopeful glimpse of him. But after time, I began to give up hope in general. No Johnny for 2 years.

And by the time I was 14, I had nearly forgotten about Johnny Cade. Till one day, I was in the park, that same old park, just sitting there, and I saw a figure in a jean jacket go by.

I told myself it couldn't be him, could NOT be the same boy from 2 years ago. He had changed definitely, from the fact that his hair looked…for lack of a better word, greasy from a distance. His walking stance had changed too, and I honestly wanted to know what the hell had happened to him.

He was walking awfully fast, and my attempts to keep up with him were failing. So out of desperation, and probably from the sheer fact that it was actually HIM, I called out his name, causing him to turn around and look at me.

He probably didn't recognize me from the way his facial expression was. He was eyeing me up and down, quickly, before taking a step towards me, and asking, "Do I…know you?"

"We used to talk here…" I said, sighing. This was stupid of me. The kid hardly knew who I was anymore. There was no point in even trying…

"…wait, hold on a sec, I think I remember you…" he told me, probably racking his brain for the answer to who I was. "I got it!" he said, after a minute or so of silence between us. "Your that Ali girl, right?"

I nodded, smiling at him. The kid wasn't so bad, even though from the looks of it, he had become a greaser. It was easy to understand, wit h what he told me about his parents, but at the same time, it was hard to believe that innocent little Johnny could become this. He looked so… different.

"Well, listen…" he said, looking over his shoulder real quick, before continuing, "Im going to a friends place, and I'll feel awfully bad if I just leave you here, because I know we haven't talked in a while…I'm sure that everyone wont mind if you come along. So how about it?"

His friends? They would probably try and jump me for all I know. I wasn't too familiar with the greaser crowd, so it was a scary image in my mind. But if Johnny was around, I was sure they couldn't be that bad.

"Why not?" I told him with a forced, fake smile, as I joined him on the walk towards wherever-the-hell-we-were-going. I could only hope it wasn't too far.

And when we arrived at the destination, I could hear a muffled sound of music. The door was wide open, and when Johnny called out that he was there, a figure came over to talk to him. I stood outside the door, not knowing what the hell I was supposed to do.

Johnny then turned around, motioning for me to come into the house. "You alright?" he asked, as I nodded. The house smelled of cigarettes and booze, and I was getting nauseous already. I had drank before, sure, but this was beginning to become overwhelming, this was beginning to make my head spin. And before I knew it, Johnny's figure infront of me was starting to go blurry, and the last thing I heard was him calling out my name, as it echoed in the back of my mind…

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When I came to, everything was quiet, and for a second, I didn't know why the hell I was in someone else's bed, in someone else's house, before I realized that I had followed a boy a year older then me here.

Was I dumb or what?

Rubbing my eyes, I looked around, only to see no Johnny in sight. Smart move, leaving me all alone. It was then I guessed that I was upstairs somewhere, because I heard the sounds of footsteps coming up a set of stairs. I quickly shut my eyes, and tried my best to look the way I did only seconds ago, as the door opened.

"I don't know what happened to her." I heard Johnny's voice say. "She walked in and a few seconds later she went out cold on the floor…"

"You ever think it was the smell of this place, Johnnycake?" Another, deeper voice said to him. Johnnycake. How original. "This girl looked like she's never touched a bit of alcohol in her life. What a shame, she doesn't know what she's missing."

They were silent for a minute, before the same guy talked, again.

"So how do you know this girl, anyways? Was she just your arm candy? How much you pay her to come with you here?" I could've sworn I heard the guy elbow Johnny, but I wasn't sure.

"Shut it." He muttered, through clenched teeth. "I've known her for a few years."

"Oh, is that so?" The guy said, as I heard their voices get farther and farther away, and footsteps going back downstairs. "Little Johnnycake is a ladies man…"

I was too afraid to get up and ask where I was, because it was obvious I wouldn't get an answer.

All I knew was I was about to enter a world different from anything I'd ever experienced before.

And I'd have Johnny Cade right beside me.

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r&r, stay gold, have a good week, kiddos.


	4. Chapter 4

egh, im sorry this is so short. i had 30 minutes, and i whipped it out as fast as i possibly could. there might not be anything for a while, but who knows? enjoyyy. 3

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After Johnny and his friend went downstairs, I opened my eyes again. I've always been the type of person who cant fall back asleep once they've woken up. Its near impossible for me.

And then, I decided to take a risk, and I got up out of the bed, and began to walk down the stairs. I just waited for someone to come and beat me shitless, but it didn't happen. I saw Johnny & a few friends sitting around in another room, as I finished the steps, and walked in.

"Look who's finally awake." One of them said, and I could tell it was the guy from upstairs. "I'm Sodapop Curtis." He said, as I nodded.

I looked around, at the two other guys in the room. Johnny stood up, and walked over towards me. "That's Ponyboy, Soda's brother-" he whispered, pointing to the one on the left, who waved in acknowledgement, "And the other one is Two-Bit Matthews."

I smiled at the guys on the couch, before I turned to look at Johnny. "Listen, its late, and my parents, their probably wondering where I am, so…"

"I understand." He murmured, looking down at the floor. I must've upset him, somehow… "Hey, I'll walk you home." He said, as I nodded.

I began towards the door, as Johnny followed. And for most of the walk, we were silent, except for telling Johnny where I lived.

It was cold that night, the wind blowing my hair in my face every couple of seconds. Johnny didn't seem to mind, like he was used to it. But I guess he must've noticed me holding my arms together, that he took his jacket off, and handed it over towards me.

"Johnny, what-" I asked, as he just held the jacked out still, moving his arms in a motion as to say "take it."

I picked it up out of his hand, and slipped it over my shoulders. It was warm, probably from his wearing it. It fit me just about right, because Johnny was around the same height I was.

"Thanks…" I whispered, as we continued towards my place.

And when we finally got there, I didn't want to say goodbye. It was then I realized how much I was depending on Johnny, and what he'd done for me that night.

He turned around, before I yelled out "WAIT!"

He stopped, as I ran down the steps leading up to my house. I flung my arms around him, in a hug, and thankfully, I felt one of his arms reach back.

"Thanks, for everything you've done tonight…" I said, as he nodded. I'm not sure, but maybe he was blushing. It was hard to tell in the dark.

Finally, we let go of the hug, as he began to walk back to his house. I walked inside my own, just waiting for the screaming and yelling to begin.

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That night, all I could think about was Johnny. Johnny. Johnny. His voice, his quiet, sweet voice, was playing over and over in my head. I was holding his jean jacket in my arms while I was in bed, just wishing, hoping, dreaming that maybe, somehow, someday…

I was getting ahead of myself. This was, after all, a greaser. And we had just talked for the first time in 2 years that night.  
I loved Johnny Cade at that point, but I was too afraid to fall in love with…him. And besides, he would NEVER fall for me. I was just…

I was a nobody, a loser. A "perfect little girl" who did what she was told.

And I just wished so badly that Johnny would say the words "love me." So I could follow them as soon as possible.

And as I slowly dosed off to sleep, I couldn't help but wonder where he was that night. What he was doing.

My little friendship with him had turned into much more. And it would keep developing till the day he…

It isn't time to think about that, though. That's for another day. Another time.

Another place.  
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r&r? reviews really make my day. so have a good weekend, and stay gold kids. :


	5. Chapter 5

i am SO sorry it's taken me like, 7 months to update this thing. I got grounded, and then my Outsiders obsession slowly faded away, and i completely forgot about the story. And then I got an email this morning about someone favoriting my story, and I realized I had forgotten it! So I decided that I will finish it over time, and here's chapter five for everyone. :

i dont own the outsiders. though i wish i did.

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The next few days were uneventful. I saw Johnny around at school, and occasionally in the halls he would say a quick "hello", but that was mostly all the conversation we had. It was almost like he was ignoring me. I hoped it wasn't that way, because he...

Life at home wasn't too great, either. Not to say my parents were abusing me or kicking me out (like mostly everyone else's in the neighborhood.) tensions had just been rising. I was more spaced out, and I wasn't doing so hot in school.

You could blame this all on Johnny, and I couldn't lie to you – it was the truth.

I still hadn't returned his jean jacket, in fact, I wore it all the time, to my parents dismay. His smell had slowly begun to fade from it, but that didn't stop me. When I wore the thing I felt like he was always there, with me. He probably didn't realize how much of an effect his stupid jacket had on me. He would probably laugh if he knew.

And everything was quiet, serene, till one day when school let out. I was making my way through the groups of girls and guys, greasers and soc's alike, when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around only to see Johnny there, as he mouthed "hi."

at that moment, I felt like I was going to melt.

I could almost sense that he was still behind me when I turned back around to navigate my way outside. When there was finally enough room to breathe, he walked next to me, hands in his pockets, looking down at the ground.

"So…" I began, looking over at him. My heart was pounding out of my chest – I just hoped he couldn't notice. "How have you been? We haven't talked in a while…"

He never answered my question, just kept on walking, and walking, till I recognized the shape of my neighborhood in the near distance. Finally he stopped, grabbed my hand, and led the way towards what I guessed was his house. Or a friends house. Just somewhere I didn't know.

But instead, we ended up in a different park, not the same one we grew up talking to each other in. It was deserted, and Johnny sat down on a bench. I opted for the ground instead, and we both sat there in silence. It seemed to be something we were good at.

"Why exactly did you bring me here?" I asked bluntly. It had been almost 10 minutes of silence in the park, not counting the 20 minute walk it had taken. "And why aren't you talking? Johnny, what's…what's going on?"

A few seconds passed. A minute, two, and then I finally got up, deciding to leave. If he wasn't going to say anything, then it clearly wasn't worth my time. I should've never bothered…

"I'm leaving." I announced, standing up and brushing the back of my skirt off, looking at Johnny. He was still on the bench, looking down at the ground like he almost always did.

"Sorry…" he murmured, as I turned around to head off towards what I thought was the direction of my house. It was starting to get dark out, and I could hardly see where I was going.

I heard footsteps behind me, and a few giggles or so, before I turned around to see 3 tall, burly men standing there.

"Well boys," one of them said, looking at me, "Look what we've got here. She's pretty, aint she boys? Looks like she'll be fun to…" his voice faded out in my mind; I couldn't think straight

I wanted to run, I knew I had to run, but I couldn't. My feet felt like concrete as the group of guys slowly moved closer, closer, till they were standing all around me. I wanted to yell, I wanted to cry out, and nothing would form in my mouth. And as their hands crept closer, closer towards me, all I could do was close my eyes and pray I wouldn't die, just…

And then everything went into a peaceful black. And everything was nice and calm again.


	6. Chapter 6

whoo. im trying to update this thing as much as possible before marching band takes over my life next week. so here's a little update - sorry for the lack of johnny in it.

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When I came to, it was still dark out, but a faint light was shining in the distance. I was on what felt like the ground, and my head hurt massively. I had no idea where, what, or why the hell I was where I was, till I suddenly remembered; those 3 guys. My stomach lurched and I felt like I was going to puke. What if they had…

"I think she's waking up guys." I then heard a voice, that familiar voice…no, Johnny's voice call out in the darkness of the night. "Ali? Al, you awake?"

Al. that was a new one. It made me sound like a guy, but I kinda liked it. The way he said it made me like it.

And even though I felt sick to my stomach, my heart was still running laps inside of me. The fact that he was there, that he actually cared enough to be here…it felt nice. Really nice.

I heard footsteps, too. A bunch of them, and another voice (complete with heavy breathing.) spoke out, "Johnny, I think its time that…you go home, and she can stay with us tonight. I'm sure…my parents are gonna be alright with it. Same with everyone else; go home. This isn't a sideshow…" he murmured, as I felt somebody lift me up off the ground. Somebody with muscles.

I still hadn't opened my eyes due to sheer fear. I didn't want to see where I was being taken, or what was going on at all. I just wanted to forget this and wake up in my bed the next morning with no recollection of anything. Maybe that would be easier then anything else. Just forgetting Johnny and his friends and going back to being…well, normal.

Muscle man was taking me somewhere, and wherever it was, it wasn't that far of a walk. It was confusing; all these twists and turns, before I guess we finally reached the front door, and that smell, that one from a week ago, it was back. This had to be that Soda kid's house. So then who was the muscle man?

I felt him lay me down on what I guessed was their sofa, and then his footsteps walk away, probably into the back of the house. It was only then I opened my eyes.

I was right about it being Soda's house. I recognized it almost immediately. I couldn't see muscle man from where I was laying down, but I did hear footsteps coming in another way. I decided to finally stay awake – how much harm could it do?

It turned out to be that Ponyboy kid, Soda's younger brother. He looked at me for a second, before continuing on.

"Hey, wait." I said, but the sound of my own voice shocked me. It almost hurt to talk; something must've been damaged when…

Ponyboy turned back around, walking closer towards the couch, and stopping, getting down so I could see him at my eye level.

"What?"

"What…exactly happened tonight?" I asked, trying not to let the pain of speaking show. But it probably did for all I know; I wasn't good at hiding things.

"To be honest, I don't really know." He said, speaking slowly. Maybe he thought I was delusional or something. "I wasn't there; I haven't even heard anything from Darry."

"You mean muscle man?"

Ponyboy laughed; wow, I made somebody laugh. That was a rare occasion. I could've sworn he smiledl, before saying "Yeah, my brother, Muscle Man, Darry…whatever you wanna call him."

I wanted to ask one more question, even though I knew the answer to it. "Where's Johnny?"

"I reckon he's back at home. Or in the lot. He sleeps there a lot. Why?"

"It's…It's nothing." I said, as Ponyboy got up, and began to walk away.

"You're here for the night, so don't worry and get up in the middle of the night. We'll get you home in the morning." He called out, as I shuffled around, closed my eyes, and slowly let the world of sleep come to me yet again.

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so there you go. r&r, because that really makes me happy. stay gold!


	7. Chapter 7

whoo, another chapter, another update. and this one's actually long, so i really want some reviews for it. maybe when i get back from band i'll write more? who knows!

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I have a thing for waking up. But this morning it was to the smell of eggs & chocolate. Strange combination, but it made me hungry; I hadn't eaten since yesterday at lunch. And that seemed like years ago. I sat up and stretched my arms, opening my eyes, only then noticing who was in the kitchen; and it wasn't Soda, Ponyboy, or Mr. Muscles. But instead it was -

"Johnny?" I asked, seeing his small figure turn around to face me. He looked tired; like he hadn't slept all night, but at the sight of me, he smiled a little.

"Hey…" he said standing up and walking over towards me. "You feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I guess." I said looking down. I felt so uncomfortable looking at Johnny, and I had no idea why. "Listen, what…exactly happened?" I asked, and I felt myself shaking a little bit. The house was freezing cold. Or maybe it was just me.

"Those guys, I saw them walking away with you." He said, slowly, trying to hide any anger or emotion in his voice. "And, I didn't want them to do anything to you, I couldn't let them hurt you, so I got the gang, and…" he stopped for a second, before continuing on, "we got you back from them." He saw my face, and quickly said "They didn't do anything to you, Al. I promise."

That was the second time he called me Al, and along with the news that I hadn't been…well, you know, it all felt so lovely. No more worry in the back of my head, no more fear of what could've happened. I couldn't help but let a small smile grow across my face, and before I knew it, I had wrapped my arms around Johnny's back, pulling him into a tight hug. A minute or so later when I pulled off him, he was smiling at me. Johnny had a real nice smile; but I rarely got to see it.

"You wanna do something today?" He asked, breaking this silence that had formed between us. I nodded, as he stood up.

"C'mon, I'll take you back to your parents house so you can get ready." As his hand outstretched towards where I was laying, and I took it, as he helped pull me up. My legs were tired from not moving since that fateful walk back to my house yesterday. They hurt slightly, but I put that in the back of my mind, as Johnny, still holding onto my hand, walked with me back to my house. We were silent, but I looked over at him once and a while, causing his cheeks to turn slightly red. The kid must've been embarrassed for all I knew.

I felt so at peace with Johnny. Like nothing could go wrong. The way he held my hand ever so tightly, and even tighter when somebody would drive by or pass our way, and then the way he smiled at me earlier, how he called me Al…I had never really been in love before, but if this was what it felt like, then it was amazing, and even more then I expected.

When we finally reached there, he let go of my hand, causing disappointment on my part. He stood there, at the bottom of the stairs to my porch, almost as if…

"Aren't you coming in?" I asked, as he shook his head. I was confused; was he embarrassed? Or did he think my parents wouldn't like him? I pushed those thoughts out of my head as I opened the door to my house and walked inside.

"Where HAVE you been?!" I heard a shrill voice yell out, and it was only then I realized I hadn't come home last night. My mother's figure appeared from the kitchen; bloodshot eyes and all.

"Mom, I'm so sorry, I completely-"

"Sorry doesn't cut it, missy. Now I want to know WHY you didn't come home last night? For all I know, you were staying at some man's house, and…" her cool collected persona collapsed, and before I knew it, she was crying. "I was scared. Your father was worried…Why didn't you even call us?" she asked, as I walked closer towards her.

"Mom, really…I was…I fainted in the street, and I woke up at a friends house, and they told me I had to stay the night, that I had hurt my…my head," I said, trying to think up excuses off the top of my head. My mom would never let me out of her sight again if she knew I had stayed at the Curtis' house, let alone Johnny…maybe it was a good thing he didn't come in the house. "And I would've called you, but I was so tired, that I just fell asleep, and…"

"Oh, just go." She said, waving her hand towards my room. "Just get out of my sight for now." But before I went to get ready for Johnny, she moved past me, placing a kiss on my cheek, before continuing on to our living room. I sighed, and then walked towards my room, trying to figure out what to wear.

Finally I decided on a small little dress – I was hoping to god it wasn't going to rain, or Johnny would take me anywhere dirty and grimy. It was white, with light blue and white stripes near the skirt part. I put on a pair of flats that matched and fixed my hair in a presentable way, before walking out of my room and out the front door.

Johnny had sat down while I was gone, and looked up when he heard the door open. His mouth dropped open for a second, before he grinned.

"God, since when could you look so-" he started, but I cut him off by asking "So where are we going exactly?"

"Geez, I never really thought of that…" he said, running his hand through his greased hair.

"The movies?" I asked, hopefully. It had been ages since I last saw a movie – none of my friends liked to go, they all thought the movies were boring. But I loved them – the glitz and glamour of it all just attracted me like a fly to a lightbulb.

Johnny thought about it a moment, before standing up, grabbing my hand yet again. "Yeah, movies…I like that idea. Lets go." And he dragged me off my porch, as we headed towards the direction of the movie theater.

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uh oh, spaghetti o. did i ever mention Ali had blonde hair? i dont think so.

anyways, r&r, its greatly enjoyed. thanks, and stay gold!


	8. Chapter 8

wow, chapter eight! im so proud of myself, haha, im pathetic.ANYWAYS, like i said last week, updates may be scarce this week; i have band camp from 9-9. and somebody asked for a picture of the dress; i dont really have a straight nice version of it, but i'll try and find one when im more awake, lmfao.enjoy the chapter everyone.

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As we made our way to the movies, Johnny was more protective then he was on the way up to my house. His grip stayed tight around my hand, no matter what, and once or twice he would glance over at me. While he was short, I was shorter, and he would have to look down to see me. It was one of the cutest things I'd seen in a while. The way he cared about me, it was nothing short of amazing.

It took us a while to get to the movies, and along the way we stopped walking and sat down; my legs were really tired. I guess you could say I was never athletic – I hated sports in general. I think Johnny wasn't tired, but when I sat down on the bench he followed along, and we were there for a good 10 minutes. He still didn't let go of my hand; almost like he was terrified to do so.

The weather was perfect for a late September night – Not too cold, but not super warm. It was the perfect balance of the two. The sun was getting ready to set (I had slept through most of the day.) and when I tried to stand up, Johnny pulled me back down (accidentally) into his lap, pointing with his free hand at the sun.

It was awkard silence after that; I never really got off Johnny's lap, though I sank into it, making it more comfortable for the both of us. I was leaning my head on his shoulder, as we watched the sunset, slowly but surely. At one point both of his hands wrapped around my stomach, pulling me even closer to him; I didn't mind in the slightest bit.

I wondered if he felt the same way about me, if he was in love…Probably not for all I knew; I bet he was just lonely and needed a friend. I just so happened to fill the spot. I was so bitter about all of this, I didn't even notice his muttering to himself; I had my eyes closed because the sunset was long gone. I bet he thought I was asleep.

I could hear him say my name, faintly, but he was talking so softly it was hard to understand. Some words came out clearer then the rest, almost like my mind was filtering his speech.

"Al…love…no no, that's not right…Al, I…" it sounded like he was practicing something, almost like he was…

And that's when I heard it, crystal clear above the rest of the city, above my heart beating faster then I thought the human body could allow, and above his near whisper before.

"Al, I…I love you."

I didn't want to wake up and have him stop. I wanted to hear him say those marvelous words to my (what he thought were) blind ears over and over and over. I would never get sick of it. Maybe I was dreaming, and maybe when I woke up, Johnny would've taken me back home. That would've been nice.

After that one sentence, Johnny stopped talking. Almost like he knew what he was going to say and when, and there was no need to rehearse anymore. And after a few minutes, when I figured it would be a good time for me to "wake up", I opened my eyes. I must've startled him, because he flinched slightly when I sat up, but then he flashed me a grin.

"I think we missed the movie for tonight…" he said, itching his back, and then yawning. "You wanna just head back to your place? I'm sure your mom missed you an awful bunch…"

"Yeah, I think that'd be good…" I said, my voice sounding foreign to my mind. I was still amazed In my mind that Johnny loved me; Johnny Cade loved me.

And it was only a matter of time before he told me, before everything would fall into place. But it seemed like we were fine as we were, when we walked back to my place, his hand still fitting in perfectly with my own, and the way his hug felt when we finally reached my place, and we had to say goodbye.

I kissed his cheek, almost lingering, because I didn't want him to leave. I wanted him to pick me off my arms and tell me what he had been practicing back at the park. If only things were that simple in real life, not in my dreams.

When I got back inside, I reached for the jean jacket laying on the ground in my room, and inhaled its familiar scent. Maybe someday, this could all be…

I sat down in my bed, and soon enough, sleep came over me. And it never felt so good in its life as it had then and there.

-------------------------------------------------------yay! i really wasnt planning on doing that this chapter, it just came out of nowhere at 11:30, lmfao. r&r, it will make these horrible days go by a lot faster.


	9. Chapter 9

whoo, and here we are again. i've had a lot of time to plan what im writing thanks to band camp, so...here's chapter nine! thanks to my friend melmo for part of the idea for this chapter...enjoy it everyone!

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I purposely avoided Johnny that Monday at school; it was wrong of me and I knew it, but there was something so weird and strange about knowing that he liked me. We were both hiding our feelings, and I didn't know how much longer either of us could take it.

I needed him more then ever, and yet I was too stubborn to go ask for help. My home life was slowly slipping way – I was grounded from going out to the park anymore because of what happened, and my parents were beating down on me for the smallest things. It was all building up, waiting for the roof to blow and for everything to go to hell.

Thankfully, that happened really quickly. It was that Thursday night, and I had just failed another test in Math; it was never my strong subject. On the walk home from school, it had started to rain, softly at first, but by the time I was inside, it was pouring buckets outside. I was terrified of thunderstorms, and I stayed in the vicinity of my mom, following her around the house if possible.

"So how was school today?" She asked, stiffly, almost as if she had to force it out of here. We had rarely spoken since the Saturday Johnny and I were supposed to go to the movies; just a few words, a hug and a kiss goodnight. She didn't think she could trust me anymore. And she was probably right.

"Good, I guess." I said, stirring the potato's we had on the stove.

"How was your math test?" I didn't want to touch on the subject; I knew how easily my mom could get upset lately, but at that time and moment, I wasn't thinking straight, and blurted out, "I failed it."

"you WHAT?!" she yelled, looking at me with eyes full of disbelief and shame. "You…You should NEVER fail a test. Your going to get punished big time for this, you just wait."

"Mom, its just a stupid-"

"It's not stupid! This is your future were talking about, your education! And instead your…your wasting it away with that dumb greaser boy!"

Everything stopped then. How did she know about Johnny? I had never brought him in the house, or even talked about him, and yet…A million different ideas ran through my head. My mom was never the kind to snoop. Or at least she was…

"Yeah, you thought I didn't notice, didn't you. You thought you could keep on playing this game with me, missy? Well guess again, because you're NEVER seeing that greaser again. Now go up to your room, up…" she said, as she pointed towards the stairs, and again when I didn't budge. It felt like my feet were glued to the floor – I was struck dumb. The rain was still pounding against the roof, harder and harder.

And only a few seconds later, I did what I was best at – running from the problem and not accepting the answer. I flung the front door open and ran out into the pouring rain, getting soaked after only a few seconds.

I could hardly see where I was going – I was so confused I couldn't tell left from right. But I still kept running, just hoping my mom wouldn't come after me, just hoping that nothing else could go wrong so soon…

I didn't realize what I would have to do; After running like this, I couldn't just go back to mommy, crying and sobbing. I had to stay strong; I had to stay away. I knew that would be difficult; I didn't want to wake up in the middle of nowhere after spending a night on the streets.

I had slowed down; I was now walking in the rain, which still hadn't lightened up. Drop after drop hit me, hitting spot after spot on my now drenched clothing. All the stuff I was wearing was probably ruined; My hair was a mess. But appearance didn't matter. Finding a safe place to spend the night did.

I hardly noticed footsteps behind me, and I didn't know who it was when I heard someone say "Hey!" over the pounding rain. Though I should have; because it was Johnny, standing there, his greased hair looking even more…well, greased, thanks to the rain.

"Johnny, what are you…" it was so awkward to speak, I wasn't used to it. And knowing that he liked me, I had no idea how to react, what to say. I just stood there, watching as he came closer.

"Why haven't you talked to me?" He asked, walking closer and closer… "Why haven't I seen you?"

"I've been, I've been busy…"I coughed out. It was hard to hear over the rain hitting the sidewalk, and off our bodies.

"I don't believe you. Why haven't I seen you?" he asked again, and I was beginning to tear up. Whatever happened to nice, normal Johnny? The one who was never assertive, the one who was quiet and would make me get all flustered and mad. "Why haven't I seen you?!" he was yelling at this point, almost inches away from my face.

"Stop it, just…just stop!" I cried out, tears blending in easily with the rain – I wondered if he could tell if I was crying or not. I sure hoped not. I tried to run, and I almost got away, but I felt his arms grab my wrists, pulling me back, slowly, till I was against his chest, his arms over my own, pulling me into him, into a hug…

The rain came down, but I don't think either of us cared. We just stood there like that for a while, and occasionally Johnny would rock both of us back and forth. I think he was trying to calm me down, and it worked – my sobs slowly became quivers, before becoming completely silent. He had worked his magic.

"I think we need to get over to Pony's place…I'm sure they'll have dry clothes." He said, taking my hand, making sure I was alright, before leading the way to the Curtis residence. I was shivering, from the rain and the coldness of September nights. I just hoped that we weren't too far away from their house, and thankfully we weren't; it only took us about 10 minutes to get there. When Muscle Man opened the door, he looked shocked, before quietly saying "Come on in, I'll get Soda to…to help you guys out."

We just stood there, waiting for Sodapop to bring us out some dry clothes; It had been decided I would spend the night, Johnny as well; I didn't tell Johnny the reason why I was away from home, but he seemed to understand.

I was so tired from the whole day, from everything that had happened, that by the time I got changed into the other clothes and I was on the couch, I was falling asleep. Johnny was kneeling next to me, and I slowly closed my eyes, the last thing I saw being Johnny's eyes near my own, watching me as I slowly dropped off into peaceful slumber.

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yay, that chapters over. and its the longest one i've written yet. amazing! r&r, because that makes my day bright. and im being serious, lmfao.  
stay gold everyone.


	10. Chapter 10

ugh, sorry for the absence in updating - marching band and school have started up and i'm stressed for time. expect chapter 11 VERY VERY soon though!

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I woke up again to that strange smell of chocolate and eggs, but this morning, it didn't matter as much as it did in the past. All I knew was I was safe- I wasn't soaking wet, and I was... I was in the arms of Johnny effing Cade. It took a minute for it to sink in, but when it finally did, and my heartbeat finally slowed down, I remembered why I was hereˇmy mom, my house... 

Johnny wasn't awake when I turned around to face him, and I watched him sleep for a minute or so - his breath coming out slowly, and his face...it didn't looked so beaten when he was asleep - he looked younger & more so at peace. It was almost beautiful.

I heard someone move over towards the kitchen, and I knew it was one of the Curtis brothers; I didn't bother turning around, because I really didn't care. I wanted Johnny to wake up, to say he loved me, to wrap his arms around me and kiss me and...

I'm getting carried away, aren't I?

A few minutes later, and his eyes blinked open, a smile forming across his lips when he saw me there in front of him. I wondered what was going through his mind - Happiness that I was a girl, who was in bed with him, or that he wasn't alone out on the street...Either way, he seemed excited. A minute or so later he got up to stretch, and then his arms went around my neck, pulling me close to him, too close for me to breathe.

"Morning..." I managed to get out, before his grip became not-so-tight, and his hands went from being behind my back to grasping my cheeks, our eyes meeting at the same level.

"You alright?" I asked. He was acting so different, so...in love. The way he looked in my eyes, they way his hands held my face almost with caution, almost as if he was worried he was going too far with his actions.

And when he was finally done...point blank, staring at me, he stood up, walked over me, and headed over towards the kitchen, where I saw Ponyboy cooking eggs. The two talked to each other for a few minutes, while I sat on the couch; I couldn't hear whatever they were saying over the crackling and the sizzling, so instead I looked down at my nails, picking at them, my mind beginning to fill w/ anxiety and nervousness. What were they saying, what was Johnny planning...?

Finally he returned- two plates of chocolate cake in his hands - that was the one good thing about staying at the Curtis' place, the food. All 3 of those brothers could cook like beasts. Johnny sat down beside me, as I began to eat away at the cake; within a minute or so, it was all gone. I was hungry.

"so what's next?" he finally spoke; his first words to me all morning. "are you going to just get kicked out of your house? Are you going to run away again?" he looked down at me, almost as if he knew the words would sting when he said them. what had happened to just a few minutes ago, to when he been clingy & reassuring...?

it was silent again, before he spoke again. "i'm here for you, y'know..."

"what?"

"whenever you run away, whenever you just need someone to talk to...to cry on, to..." he stopped listing things, guessing that i got the point. "whenever you need me, i'll be here. you get what im saying?" he asked, as I nodded, trying to keep myself in focus - I couldnt help but notice that Ponyboy had disappeared away from the kitchen and out of sight.

"c'mon, lets go for a walk..." he said, pulling me up from the couch - I was still wearing the clothes that Ponyboy had lent me - baggy and misguided - I didnt want to be seen in public like this. But Johnny was pulling me along, as we walked along the sidewalk down the street...  
Again, his hand found mine, and everything felt...so RIGHT. Like this was how it was supposed to be.

I realized he was taking me down to one of the local clothing shops in town, but I didnt say anything - i knew it was probably a surprise for me, and i was right. about 10 minutes after entering the shop, he returned w/ a bag, and handed it over towards me.

"So when you go back home, your mom wont..."

"Yeah." I said, smiling up at him, "Thanks."

"Listen," he said, stopping our walk down the street, "You...do you want to go see a movie with me tonight?" he blurted the words out, but I could still make sense of them.

I could only imagine what was going to happen, but my heart won over my head, and my lips spoke "yes." before another regret was in my mind. he smiled down at me, his lovely and rarely seen smile, before taking me back to Ponyboy's, where we would meet later.

Both of us knew what was going to happen - and neither could wait.

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read it and review - make my days bright. stay gold kiddos.


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